BAMAKO: Mali’s military-led government has arrested two generals and a French national, accusing them of participating in an alleged plot to destabilize the West African nation, according to a government statement and state-owned media.
Mali has endured over a decade of turmoil marked by Islamist insurgencies in its arid north along with political instability that culminated in a series of coups in 2020 and 2021 that brought current president General Assimi Goita to power.
Sources told Reuters earlier this week that more than 30 soldiers and military officials had been taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to destabilize Goita’s government.
Mali’s ministry of territorial administration, in a statement released late on Thursday, said those arrested included Yann Vezilier, a French citizen.
France’s once close relationship with its former colonies in West Africa’s Sahel region has soured in recent years as military officers have overthrown civilian governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Paris has withdrawn French troops involved in an operation to combat Islamist militants there under pressure from the countries’ new leadership. Mali, which cut military ties with France, has meanwhile turned to Russia for support.
The ministry statement accused Vezilier of acting on behalf of French intelligence services to mobilize political and civil society figures and military officers.
A French foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday that it had no official comment on Vezilier’s arrest.
Malian state media showed images of 10 other people detained for involvement in the alleged plot, including General Abass Dembele, who is the former governor of the central Mopti region, and General Nema Sagara, another leading military figure.
The ministry did not specify how many people had been arrested in total but described them as “a group of marginal elements” and said the situation was under control.
Mali’s military authorities have failed to keep their promise to hold elections. Instead, Goita was granted a five-year renewable term in June and political activities were suspended across the country.
While Mali’s military junta cited the civilian authorities’ failure to put down Islamist uprisings in the north among its justifications for seizing power, security woes have persisted under Goita.
The past few months have seen a surge of deadly attacks by Jama’at Nusrat Al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an Al-Qaeda-linked group that also operates in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Mali arrests generals, French national accused in alleged destabilization plot
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Mali arrests generals, French national accused in alleged destabilization plot
- Mali’s ministry of territorial administration, in a statement released late on Thursday, said those arrested included Yann Vezilier, a French citizen
Louvre workers vote to extend a strike
- Tensions have been further sharpened by fallout from the theft of crown jewels during a daylight robbery that exposed serious security lapses at the museum
PARIS: Employees at the Louvre Museum voted to extend a strike that has disrupted operations at the world’s most visited museum, though the attraction partially opened Wednesday to allow visitors to enjoy the “Mona Lisa” and other highlights.
The museum said that visitors have started entering the building, where they had access to a limited “masterpiece route” which includes Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and the famous Venus de Milo.
“Due to a strike, some rooms in the Louvre Museum are ... closed,” it said on social media. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Union workers are protesting chronic understaffing, building deterioration and recent management decisions — pressures intensified by a brazen crown jewels heist in October.
The decision came during a morning general assembly, after workers had adopted the walkout unanimously earlier this week. The museum was shuttered Tuesday for its weekly closed day.
Tensions have been further sharpened by fallout from the theft of crown jewels during a daylight robbery that exposed serious security lapses at the museum.
Culture Ministry officials held crisis talks with unions Monday and proposed to cancel a planned $6.7 million cut in 2026 funding, open new recruitment for gallery guards and visitor services and increase staff compensation. Union officials said the measures fell short.
Louvre President Laurence des Cars appeared before the Senate’s culture committee later on Wednesday as lawmakers continue probing security failures at the museum.
